Swift and Malone Triumph at VMAs with "Fortnight" Collaboration
Taylor Swift and Post Malone clinched the best collaboration award at the MTV Video Music Awards for "Fortnight." Swift, leading with 12 nominations, praised Malone's talent during the ceremony.
The MTV Video Music Awards, a prestigious event in the music industry since 1984, saw Taylor Swift and Post Malone secure the best collaboration award for their song "Fortnight" on September 11, 2023. The ceremony, held at the UBS Arena near New York City, marked another milestone in Swift's illustrious career, which has seen her win 14 VMAs prior to this event.
Swift, who entered the ceremony with a leading 12 nominations, expressed her admiration for Malone, whose birth name is Austin Richard Post. She commended his exceptional talent and politeness, humorously noting his persistent use of formal address. Malone reciprocated the sentiment, acknowledging Swift's kindness and artistic prowess.
The "Fortnight" video, released in April 2023, showcases Swift in a stark hospital environment, reflecting the themes of her album "The Tortured Poets Department." Malone shared an interesting behind-the-scenes detail, revealing that Swift directed the video while restrained on an operating table set.
"It reflected what I was seeing in my head as I wrote the 'Tortured Poets' songs."
The Video of the Year category, a coveted award first presented to The Cars in 1984, featured strong contenders including Billie Eilish, Eminem, and SZA. Eilish, notably the youngest artist to sweep all four major Grammy categories in 2020, competed with her video "Lunch." Eminem, a 13-time VMA winner, was nominated for "Houdini," while SZA, whose real name is Solána Imani Rowe, contended with "Snooze."
The event opened with a performance by Eminem, who later collaborated with country artist Jelly Roll on their hit "Somebody Save Me." This performance highlighted Jelly Roll's recent transition from rap to country music.
In recognition of her significant contributions to the music video art form, Katy Perry was slated to receive the MTV Video Vanguard Award, previously known as the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award until its renaming in 2019. Perry's career boasts nine number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, cementing her status as a pop icon.
This year's VMAs, featuring the iconic "Moon Person" trophy (redesigned from the original "Moonman" in 2017), continued to celebrate musical achievements in an industry constantly evolving with technological advancements and changing audience preferences.
